chapter: Past Stories..

21 years ago...

"Honey..we can rule that world, people there, are too lame to compete us," Haneul whispered as she hugged her husband.

Jung Woo wasn't able to believe, that after so many therapies Haneul still thinks that the other world exists. As he hugged her these words made his eyes flood while he closed his eyes as he saw no end to this.

It was the same five years ago when their only son was six years old. It was the same night with the same heavy snowfall when she came out of her room after locking herself for days. She didn't come out of her room to see if her six-year-old had eaten or not, she didn't come out of her room to see if her husband had come home from his work.

She came out just to run out of her house barefooted wearing just thin silk regalia yelling, "Spirits blessed me! I can cure your distress now!"

As she ran out in the cold weather Jung Woo ran behind her to catch her. Running some steps outside she fell being unconscious. Fortunately, there was Jung Woo behind her to catch her. He held her up in his arms as he took her back to the house.

She was all fragile now, her dark circles and pale face could tell that executing all those rituals all these days drenched all her energy and soul. As he took her through the road people laughed and whispered among themselves.

Jung Woo, ignoring all of them went inside and made his beloved wife sleep on the sofa beside the fireplace. Seeing her in such state, unconscious he covered his forehead with his one hand and jerked as he cried silently.

If only for once Haneul's parents had told him that her grandma performed rituals and that she had dragged Haneul into it too he could've helped her get out of it early. But as it got more late the worse it affected his wife.

Being a shaman now she believed that there is a different world. A world far away from ours...

Thinking about this past he finally let his wife go when she gently brushed his hair and asked, "Anything wrong honey?"

He looked at her and shook his head lightly with a small smile.

"But honey..." She said as she looked at him with her innocent eyes.

"Hm?" He asked as he brushed off the strands of the hair away from her pale face.

"Everyone here says that- that I am a liar. Do you-"

"No!" He hugged her again.

A smile of relief spread on Haneul's face spread as she was assured that his husband believes in her.

"I believe you. You're...not a liar." He said further tightly hugging her while brushing the back of her head.

Haneul nodded childishly as she was now all relieved. While Jung Woo felt like he was falling in a pit, a pit full of darkness like, like an abyss. He didn't know how will he continue to live with his wife getting worse and worse in her mental stability. He didn't know how will he make his son understand what has happened to his mother.

From what his son remembers, he only knows that his mom is ill. All he knows that one day his mother will come back home and will never leave him again. But how long can the truth be kept away from a growing child? Everyday Jung Woo thought how will he make his son understand what has happened to his mother, cause he knew that he will never be able to get his Haneul back. He knew that one day therapist will knock at his door with the coffin of his wife.

He has lost his sleep, his happiness. He has grown restless, depressed and anxious. Cause there's nothing he can do to cure his wife.

While, on the other hand, their son has been assured that his mother will be fine. But no one knows that whenever he goes to his father at those sleepless nights he finds him rocking back and forth on his chair. He finds it bizarre how no one tells about him if his mother mentions him in her talks if she...ever misses him. He is still unknown by the fact that his mother doesn't even remember that she has a son. His identity from her mother's memory is completely erased but....who is to blame? His fate, the God or he, himself.

The little kid has overheard the conversation of the doctor with his dad, little does he know that his mother won't be back now, that...that his mother won't be cured now but he keeps ignoring it, as a kid with the innocence he doesn't want to think about the worse. He still has that ray of hope that one day his father will come home with mom and she'll hug him as everyone's mother does to their child.

He has seen his father struggle against all those comments passers made on him and his wife. Being a kid he doesn't know how this world works but he still thinks that one day everything will be fine. He knows that his dad knows some royals and that they'll help him.

As usual with all these thoughts he kept waiting for his father one night when he heard a slight knock on the door.

As he opened he found his father with a long face.

"Han Gyeol!" His father exclaimed lightly as he looked at the kid standing in front of him.

"Dad." The kid replied as he looked at his father with confused expressions.

Jung Woo kneeled and let his hands on his son's shoulders and looked at him in his eyes,

"Dad, is mom...alright? The kid asked with his eyes full of innocence.

Jung Woo feeling numb hugged his son and cried out loud, this was the first time Han Gyeol had seen his father cry, whereas Jung Woo had lost all his strength now.

The kid hugged his dad back but he was dumbstruck when he saw some people wearing hospitals dresses coming towards his house carrying a coffin on their shoulders.

"Dad, who are they?" He asked as he got rid of his father's grip.

"Dad...what are they...they carrying?"

Han Gyeol didn't want to hear the truth yet he kept asking, he couldn't believe his eyes as the hospital staff finally kept the coffin in front of him and went out.

"Han Gyeol...I'm sorry." His father said as he looked at his kid.

"You'd asked me to cure your mother but I...I failed."

Jung Woo kept his hands in his knees as he looked down and burst into more tears.

Seeing this whole disaster Han Gyeol's body wasn't able to react except for his eyes which kept crying. Feeling shocked he looked outside and saw silhouettes of some people marching towards his house.

"The King has come!" A man announced as he came running towards Jung Woo.

Han Gyeol looked outside as his eyes felt a bit of relieved, cause according to his knowledge the king was the royal his dad believed the most.

"Jung Woo!" The king came in while the Queen stood behind him.

Everyone was in tears, the king hugged Jung Woo but he jerked him back, "STOP IT!" He yelled.

"You killed my wife!" He yelled again making Han Gyeol gasp...